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PS3 Review: 50 Cent Blood in the Sand

50 Cent: Blood in the Sand is…strange. While performing with the G-Unit in some Middle Eastern country, “Fiddy” finishes his show to find out he can’t get paid. He’s instead given a crystal skull, which is then taken by terrorists. Hell bent on getting revenge, Fiddy and the G-Unit retaliate. The story is ridiculously over-the-top, but not in a good way. It’s more like a bad fan fiction someone wrote who was trying to be serious.

The game is a decent attempt at a third person shooter though it’s actually more like an arcade game. As you shoot waves upon waves of enemies, you’ll earn kill bonuses and rack up your special meter all accumulating into a score for your level. The higher the score at the end of the level then the more rewards you earn like a new music track for example. While a shooting gallery with 50 Cent as the star is appealing, that appeal only lasts for about an hour as it becomes tedious after that. Adding a friend in CO-OP makes the experiences more bearable especially since your buddy AI sucks. The multiplayer, however, is just poor.

The presentation, like the gameplay, is passable. It looks like a game of this generation, but just barely as it lacks polish. Environments are bland, enemies are uninspired, and the AI is atrocious. The voice work is all right, Fiddy doing a decent job at selling his cheesy lines. The script overall is just poor. The highest note to add is the amount of unlockables in the game like the aforementioned music tracks, music videos, and more. Those music tracks make for a killer soundtrack to kill enemies to, but again, these are only a couple of high notes in a sea of mediocrity.

50 Cent: Blood in the Sand sounds like an amazing experience. The basic premise of 50 Cent fighting terrorists in the Middle East for a crystal skull is bananas. Unfortunately the story is poor and takes itself too seriously. It’s repetitive and very bland to boot. Unless you find this game at the very bottom of a cheap bargain bin, then avoid it at all costs.

Score: 2/5 Stars

Special Notes: This article was originally published on April 6, 2012 via my Examiner account before the website shut down.